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“Are Angela’s companions also here with her?” When he didn’t respond, her suspicion grew. “How many people did Klaus pretend to drive out but take in?”
“And that’s where my tour ends,” Miko announced, gesturing at another set of stairs leading up. “I will let him answer the rest of your questions.”
Belatedly, it dawned that they had walked a long distance already and the direction was away from the castle. Sapphire eyed the staircase.
“Miko—”
“Have fun.”
He strolled back to where he came from, whistling under his breath and not inviting her to walk with him. Cautiously, she climbed the stairs and popped her head out, where she was met with the sight of a clearing surrounded by trees and filled with huts in varying stages of completion. The lack of walls indicated that they were mostly for hangout purposes before her focus trailed on the man standing by the hole she was on.
“Bernard,” she blurted out.
Bernard didn’t look surprised to see her but resigned as if he had been waiting for this day to come. Even that didn’t last as he nodded and greeted her.
“Hello, Miss Sapphire. I suppose you’re here to check out your staff and rearrange the island activities to your liking.”
The words mystified her, but she hauled herself out of the hole and stood beside him. There were people already hanging out in some of the finished huts, some glancing at her with equal curiosity. She didn’t recognize anyone, especially the younger-looking ones.
“How about you explain to me how this underground maze works and where the other exits are?” she asked slowly, still trying to figure this new puzzle out.
She waited for a refusal but was befuddled when Bernard promptly led the way. They wandered around the island, where the man introduced her to the most common exits near the castle to the ones at the edge, hidden inside thick bushes and protected by a wall of raging monster waves.
“Those waves don’t change course or intensity,” he explained before she could ask. “But the master doubled the alarm in this area.”
“Because it’s a blind spot and could potentially be an entrance point for intruders,” she surmised.
“No one has tried yet, but yes.”
He led her back, recounting the staff activities including how often they did service work and how long they rested. When they returned to the only underground exit that had an actual normal door in a box in the middle of the clearing, he stopped and waited expectantly.
“Bernard, how many staff do we have in total?”
“Around twenty, with an additional ten during cleanup days and special events. That’s inside the castle. Outside, there are about five to ten for cleanup. They mostly tend to the garden and remove potentially poisonous wild plants. Other than that, there are around twenty guards on rotation, though it’s mostly the master and his best warriors who check the perimeters on the regular.”
“And how many people are being housed underground in Oslo?”
There was a pause, then, “About a hundred, give or take.”
“The exact number?” she prompted.
“A hundred and forty-eight, including you, me, and the children.”
This meant some residents weren’t asked to work but were kept here with the best facilities. Her mind tried to wrap around the strangeness of it, particularly when the dragon who owned Oslo was known for being a territorial asshole. Then her thoughts drifted back to Angela, who was no longer traumatized and paralyzed with fear.
“Do you have any other questions?” Bernard asked, still expectant and ready to answer.
“Yes. Where’s Klaus?”
Except that,her mind noted when the man’s expression closed off.
“The master’s out.”
“Out where?”
“Just out. He has some tasks to do.”
“You have to elaborate, Bernard, because tasks could mean anything.”
